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Tag Archives: Spring

The Toni Todd label was a mid-priced line of popular everyday dresses. Pretty hum-drum by the standards then, but nicer than lots of the stuff that is marketed today. The best feature of this one, I think, is the styling.

The fabric is a poly or poly-blend knit. It is a one-piece, but made to look like a two-piece ensemble and pulls on overhead. Two of the buttons on one shoulder can be unfastened to allow this, while the others that run down the center of both sleeves are purely decorative, as is the red vinyl belt.

In terms of dating it exactly, the length of the skirt throws me off a bit but it could just have been a style element even though lots of hemlines at the time were shorter. It is an unusual design which contains elements of Mod and military styling – both popular in the mid- to late 1960’s.

It’s so much FUN to find vintage garments like this, with several interesting and curious fashion features that make the deciphering of their history a little unusual or puzzling. . . . . . . .

I found two wonderful mid-century straw hats on my last expedition! This one is summer-perfect and great with Marlene’s coloring. It’s a simple style that suits almost everyone and the big bow gives it a coquettish allure.

The Bobbie Brooks company has been a fabulous maker of classic sportswear for many decades and their true vintage items are very special – well-designed and made to a high standard. I always do a flip when I find one!

This “skort” is summer-perfect – dressier than shorts, easier than a mini-skirt (no ugly and ungainly exposures and attempts to avoid them), cool and FUN. 100% cotton!!

I love and discover all types and makes of true vintage fashion, but a high-quality brand name is always an extra plus.

From the 1960’s back to, maybe the 1920’s, these three are my oldest vintage examples of Hawaiian gowns. From the farthest left, to right –

Psychedelic hues and patterns on the far left – not hard to see the late Sixties here. The center dress is from the 1950’s and is fashioned in the traditional Hawaiian style, with a panel on the back that is almost like a train, without the dragging hem.

On the far right is a mystery dress with a metal side zipper. It has images in the print that are not your standard Hawaiian shirt variety and the fabric is very different –

instead of being the heavy cotton that I’d usually expect, it is a fluid material that I’d guess is rayon. If the label did not indicate that it was made in Hawaii, I’d say it had come from Japan. The toggle closure at the neck is also something often seen on Chinese and Japanese garments. It’s also got a very 1930’s cut – close to the body.

This little dress is so cool – straight out of the late sixties. It was tailor-made in a fabric that was really popular then – kind of loose-woven like hop sacking used to be. That’s what it was called, though it wasn’t really sacking material (from back when they used to make food sacks out of cloth).

It has a Peter Pan collar and zips up the back. The sleeves are made from a sheer material that is printed to match the heavier fabric of the dress. Cute!

When I find something like this that is SO characteristic of its particular time and even tells a story about who made it it’s almost like being transported! Beam me up . . . . . . . . .